A study by the CDC, appearing in the journal Pediatrics shows, once again, that smoking cigarettes during pregnancy (with its nicotine and other toxic substances) is a health risk to your baby. Reuters Health reports:

…women who smoked early in pregnancy were 30 percent more likely to give birth to babies with obstructions in the flow of blood from the heart to the lungs, and nearly 40 percent more likely to have babies with openings in the upper chambers of their hearts.

We’ve known for many years of the dangers of smoking during pregnancy, and this study just adds to that knowledge. Mothers-to-be take note: what goes into your body affects your baby—possibly for a lifetime.